Best study advice for A&P

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I'm starting A&P next week and am nervous about how much there is to know. Luckily my professor will test us frequently so less material is included in each one. I'm wondering what your best study advice is on how to tackle the class and the memorizing.

TIA!;)

Open lab for Anatomy. For me repetition is the key... naming bones, muscles and whatnot on the models again and again.. Especially those skull bones. Flashcards are awesome too, but I used those more for micro bacteria, not A&P. Pictures were always helpful for me. Like several people here said, a lot depends on your personal learning style. Experiment with different study methods and find what works best for you. Good luck!

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I also did extra research on the various physiologic functions of different organs, and I used the internet to find articles and videos that showed good animations and graphics of cellular processes.

Do you recommend any sites in particular, I hadn't even though of this as a way to study!

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I'm not having issues with the Anatomy but the Physiology part of it....I'm going over "THE CELL" chapter and I feel like I'm reading in French. The chapter is massive...all terms I have never seen before...I feel like if I could get past this chapter, I'll be ok. I reviewed the rest of the book and it all looks doable.

I'm just at a loss on how to take in THIS MUCH information in just 3 or 4 days, b/c that is as long as we have before an exam.

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I'm not having issues with the Anatomy but the Physiology part of it....I'm going over "THE CELL" chapter and I feel like I'm reading in French. The chapter is massive...all terms I have never seen before...I feel like if I could get past this chapter, I'll be ok. I reviewed the rest of the book and it all looks doable.

I'm just at a loss on how to take in THIS MUCH information in just 3 or 4 days, b/c that is as long as we have before an exam.

Have you tried just getting a big piece of butcher paper and drawing it all out? I know that helped me a lot with the cell.

Peace,

Cathie

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative care.

i took all the great ideas given so far and put them in one post in case someone wants to print them out on one sheet..........

study tips for anatomy and physiology

- take notes and put them in the form of questions and then answer the question on the back of the card. also put the structures you need to know and then the function (or whatever needed to know about it) on the other side....including model numbers for practical exams.

- for histology grab microscope images from the web and put them on flash cards and then put the labels on the other side of the card.

- take pictures of the models and use them to study....but put them on an ipod, not index cards

- record the lectures on an mp3 player and re-listen to the lecture with your notes and book in front of you.

- take lecture notes on the right side of your spiral notebook leaving the left side of the spiral blank. then later write questions on the left side that pertains to the info on the right side. this makes your notebook into a giant flash card, go through the questions and if you need help look up the answers on the right side.

- buy a color atlas of human anatomy that shows the various parts better than the textbook shows. do extra research on the various physiologic functions of different organs, and use the internet to find articles and videos that show good animations and graphics of cellular processes.

- spend about 10 extra hours in the anatomy lab, outside of class time, looking at the cadavers and microscope slides so you would be able to identify all the stuff for lab practical tests.

- make sure to read before you go to lecture, and then review your notes after each lecture to make sure you are clear on all points.

- study every day, no matter what!

- the web is a great help in reviewing physiological processes, and use additional books too.

- helpful in learning the human anatomy is by visually comparing the different body parts that you are studying to your own body (as far as locations go). look at the pictures in your textbook and practice where the locations are on your body.

- with physiology the focus is more detailed on things like how the body functions with different chemical, hormones, etc. and the steps the body takes to defend it self and how body functions like urination are completed. write out the steps one by one on a loose leaf paper in your own words so when study time came the information seems less foreign to you.

- record yourself reading from the textbook. then listen to it while doing laundry, dishes, driving, whatever.

- carry your flash cards and study any time you have to wait for anything.

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study tips for anatomy and physiology

- take notes and put them in the form of questions and then answer the question on the back of the card. also put the structures you need to know and then the function (or whatever needed to know about it) on the other side....including model numbers for practical exams.

- for histology grab microscope images from the web and put them on flash cards and then put the labels on the other side of the card.

- take pictures of the models and use them to study....but put them on an ipod, not index cards

- record the lectures on an mp3 player and re-listen to the lecture with your notes and book in front of you.

- take lecture notes on the right side of your spiral notebook leaving the left side of the spiral blank. then later write questions on the left side that pertains to the info on the right side. this makes your notebook into a giant flash card, go through the questions and if you need help look up the answers on the right side.

- buy a color atlas of human anatomy that shows the various parts better than the textbook shows. do extra research on the various physiologic functions of different organs, and use the internet to find articles and videos that show good animations and graphics of cellular processes.

- spend about 10 extra hours in the anatomy lab, outside of class time, looking at the cadavers and microscope slides so you would be able to identify all the stuff for lab practical tests.

- make sure to read before you go to lecture, and then review your notes after each lecture to make sure you are clear on all points.

- study every day, no matter what!

- the web is a great help in reviewing physiological processes, and use additional books too.

- helpful in learning the human anatomy is by visually comparing the different body parts that you are studying to your own body (as far as locations go). look at the pictures in your textbook and practice where the locations are on your body.

- with physiology the focus is more detailed on things like how the body functions with different chemical, hormones, etc. and the steps the body takes to defend it self and how body functions like urination are completed. write out the steps one by one on a loose leaf paper in your own words so when study time came the information seems less foreign to you.

- record yourself reading from the textbook. then listen to it while doing laundry, dishes, driving, whatever.

- carry your flash cards and study any time you have to wait for anything.

wow-that is awesome! thanks for the extra effort in helping us all!:balloons:

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The best advice bar far to to apply the information you are given. My professor was one of the greatest I had during my whole two years of college and his tests were actually in essay form. The quesitons pertained to true to life patients. The body parts and functions seem tedious at first, but when you start to look up disease states or deviations from homeostasis, and putting the puzzle together, it makes it simple as pie. My wife has been a RN for over two years now, and I still amaze her with my phyisiology knowledge.

Another great tip for any class, is to teach the material to a family memeber, friend or another student. You retain about 20% of wwhat you memorize, and about 90% of what you teach.

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Specializes in LTC.

Flash Cards: I google image searched out whatever we were studying and glued images to flash cards with proper labels on the back. Googling all of the bones of the body was a pain in the butt, but I learned the info! I also turned all of my lecture notes into test questions and put them on flashcards too.

Diagrams: Get blanks and label them.... over and over again. In my lab we used the Connie Allen & Valerie Harper Laboratory Manual for Anatomy and Physiology the bulk of it was labeling diagrams. It's definatly worth the investment. I would go through it first and put in all the correct answers then when studying I'd cover the answers with a blank sheet of paper and go through and write my answers down on a sheet of notebook paper and then check my answers from there.

Diagrams in Books: Most of these are pretty excellent at explaining physiology. One thing a lot of biology teachers have told me is STUDY THE DIAGRAMS! Be able to explain them inside and out.

Use the internet. For everything you study google it. Get new images to study from and new diagrams. It's easy to memorize the book, but memorization doesn't always mean that you KNOW and UNDERSTAND the information. The more you have to identify and use as resources the better luck you have at learning it.

The Book: I acctually found it easier to read the book after lecture. My learning style makes it harder for me to learn strictly from a book so I'd familiarize myself with the material in lecture and then I would read the book for more detail and better understanding.

Class Notes: if your teacher has powerpoints for you, print them out and take TONS of notes on them. Highlight and write down important info. Also put things into simplier terms.

A&P takes a lot of time studying. It's like no other class that you have EVER taken.

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